SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is 8-6-0/5-5-0 after sweeping UConn November 17 and 18. The River Hawks have won four in a row for the first time this season. They swept UNH and Northeastern the previous weekend. The River Hawks were picked for a second place finish in the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll. Ryan Lohin leads the team in scoring with 14-points. Lohin, Kenny Hausinger and John Edwardh top the goal scoring chart with five-goals apiece. Hausinger is second in points with 12. Seventeen different players have scored goals, ten have more than one. Tyler Wall and Christoffer Hernberg have split the goaltending responsibilities. Hernberg has started in nine games and played in eleven and has a 1.51 GAA and a .946 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS:  Bentley is 3-7-3/3-6-3 after sweeping Robert Morris, 3-1 and 6-3, this past weekend. Bentley was picked for an eighth place finish in the Atlantic Hockey Preseason Media Poll. Fourteen different players have scored goals, ten have more than one. Jonathan Desbiens leads the team with five. Kyle Schmidt tops the points chart with 11 (4g, 7a). Jason Argue has started seven of the team's 13 games in nets. He has a 2.88 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Aidan Pelino has started the last two, both wins, and has a 4.25 GAA and an .866 save percentage.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BENTLEY: This is only the sixth meeting between the two schools in a series that only started in 2003. UMass Lowell has won all five previous meetings. It is the first time they have played one another since 2012. In that most recent meeting UMass Lowell scored two goals eleven seconds apart with less than five-minutes remaining in the hockey game to come away with a 3-2 win. Ryan McGrath had two-goals in that game. The five game winning streak against Bentley is the seventh longest current River Hawk streak against one team.Â
NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: UMass Lowell has more than held its own in non-conference play over the last six-plus years. UMass Lowell is 73-25-6 (.731) in non-conference games since the 2011-12 season. The River Hawks are 7-3-0 against Atlantic Hockey schools since Norm Bazin took over behind the River Hawk bench.
HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell is 76-31-12 (a .689 winning percentage) at the Tsongas Center since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season. The last time the River Hawks had a losing record at home was 2010-11 when the home team went 4-12-0.
HOME COOKING: UMass Lowell forward John Edwardh has scored all of his five goals and seven of his nine points at the Tsongas Center this season. Defenseman Tommy Panico has scored all of his points, three-goals and added four-assists, at home. Defenseman Tyler Mueller has scored both of his goals at home and Nick Master has added his one-goal and five assists on home ice as well.
BACK-TO-BACK: UMass Lowell has played seven of  16 weekends during which the club will play back-to-back games. The River Hawks have three sweeps to their credit, two splits and also have been swept twice this season.  UMass Lowell is 4-3-0 on the first night, 4-3-0 on the second. A year ago the River Hawks went back-to-back 18 times. The River Hawks were 11-6-1 on the first night and 11-5-2 on the second. UMass Lowell authored seven sweeps and were swept just twice. This is the first stand alone game of the season.
LAST WEEKEND: UMass Lowell swept a weekend series against Connecticut, 5-2 and 1-0. John Edwardh and Ryan Dmowski each had two goals for the winners in the opener at the Tsongas Center. Connor Wilson picked up the only goal of the hockey game the following afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford. River Hawk goalie Christoffer Hernberg made 33 saves to record his second shutout of the season. The back to back wins ended a five game winless streak against UConn.
A WIN TONIGHT WOULD...: extend UMass Lowell's winning streak to five games, their longest of the season, and move the River Hawks to three games above the .500 mark for the first time this season. It would extend the River Hawks winning streak against Bentley to six.Â
LET'S PLAY HOCKEY: Tonight's game against Bentley is the only action for the River Hawks during a span of 19 days, and only one of three games to be played during a 40-day period. UMass Lowell last played on November 18th at UConn and will not play again until December 8 and 9 against BU. After that the River Hawks go on the winter holiday break and do not play again until December 29th against Harvard in the opening round of the Catamount Cup in Burlington, Vermont.
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WHO's NEXT?: Following tonight's contest against Bentley, UML will not return to action until December 8 for the first of a home-and-home series with Boston University. A year ago the two teams split the regular season series, each winning on home ice. BU leads the all-time series 73-29-9, but the River Hawks are 11-6-1 since Norm Bazin took over the coaching responsibilities.
SCORING TWO or FEWER AND WINNING: UMass Lowell's 2-1 win at New Hampshire November 10th was the first time this year the team has won a game when scoring two goals or fewer. The River Hawks followed that up with a 1-0 win November 18th with a 1-0 win at UConn. The last time the team was held to just two goals or fewer and won a game was January 14, 2017 at UMass. It had been 28 games in between goals-at-a-premium win.
WHEN ONE IS ENOUGH: When UMass Lowell defeated UConn, 1-0, November 18, 2017 it was the 12th time in school history and the first time in almost two-years that the River Hawks had won a 1-0 game. It was the sixth 1-0 win since Norm Bazin took over the program in 2011-12.
Date                   Opponent                                    Goalie/Svs.          Goal Scorer
Feb. 12, 1977     vs. Williams                            Doyle, 29 saves                Yeadon
Nov. 10, 2001    at New Hampshire          McCormick, 30 svs.                 Strome
Nov. 16, 2001    vs. UMass Amherst          McCormick, 24 svs.              McGrane
Jan. 4, 2004      at UMass Amherst              Davidson, 27 svs.                  Godoy
Feb. 8, 2007      vs. Northeastern                 Hamilton, 10 svs.                   Kinley
Feb. 21, 2009     at Vermont                            Hutton, 21 svs.       Worthington
Mar. 23, 2013    vs. Boston University       Hellebuyck, 36 svs.                 Arnold
Nov. 22, 2013    vs. Notre Dame                Hellebuyck, 40 svs.                     Buco
Feb. 28, 2014     at Vermont, OT               Hellebuyck, 25 svs.                    Houk
Nov. 7, 2015      at Vermont                               Boyle, 32 svs.                 Chapie
Jan. 8, 2016       at New Hampshire                   Boyle, 27 svs.                  Collins
Nov. 18, 2017    at UConn                            Hernberg, 33 svs.                  Wilson
BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 48-32-21 in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season. Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 12-10-21 in games decided in overtime.
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 120-5-9 when leading after two-periods. They are also 30-18-9 when the score is tied after two periods. The River Hawks were 22-1-2 when leading after two periods a year ago.
IN NHL BUILDINGS: The XL Center in Hartford, where UMass Lowell and UConn played, November 18th, once was home to the NHL's Hartford Whalers. The River Hawks have a 45-42-9 record in buildings that have been the home to an NHL team. UMass Lowell is 9-9-1 in the TD Garden/Fleet Center, 4-5-0 in the old Boston Garden, 1-2-0 at the CONSOL Energy Center, 1-0-1 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, 1-2-1 at the XL Center and 29-24-6 in the Matthews Arena, the original home of the Boston Bruins then known as the Boston Arena. Excluding the Matthews Arena, UMass Lowell is 16-18-3 in NHL Buildings.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT: UMass Lowell scored three third period goals November 11 to come from behind and defeat Northeastern 4-2. It was the first time the River Hawks had won a game in which they trailed after two periods in more than a year. The last time they emerged victorious in such a scenario was in the NCAA East Regional in Albany, N.Y., March 26, 2016, against Yale. Trailing 2-1 after two periods Joe Gambardella tied the game with a third period goal and then scored again 1:37 into overtime to win it. The last time they pulled the trick at home was December 6, 2014 when the River Hawks trailed Maine 1-0 through two-periods but won 3-2 in overtime.
THAT'S A LOT OF RUBBER: When Northeastern fired 21 shots on goal during the second period in the November 11th game it matched the most shots on goal surrendered during a single period at the Tsongas Center. The 20 saves by River Hawk goalie Chris Hernberg is the record for one period at the Tsongas Center.  Â
ON THE ROAD: UMass Lowell is 82-43-9, a .646 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the six-plus years that Norm Bazin had led the program. That .646 winning percentage is the best in the nation during that period. BC's .644 is number two. The River Hawks are 59-33-8, .630, as the road team and 23-10-1, .691, in games played at a neutral site.
ROAD WARRIORS: UMass Lowell forwards Ryan Lohin and Kenny Hausinger appear to be comfortable on foreign ice. Four of Hausinger's five goals and nine of his 12-points have come on the road. Ten of Lohin's 14-points (3g, 7a) have come on the road. Lohin and Hausinger lead Hockey East in scoring on the road.
OFFENSE FROM DEFENSE: UMass Lowell leads Hockey East in goals from the defense with 11 in the team's first 14 games. Only seven teams in the country have more goals from the defense. Their 38-points from the blue line is second in the league and 10th in the country. Six different Dmen have scored goals, four, Tommy Panico, Tyler Mueller, Mattias Goransson and Chris Forney have two or more. Mueller leads River Hawk defensemen with ten-points and Panico leads with three-goals.
WINNING ANYWAY: November 3rd, against Maine, was the first time this season that UMass Lowell won a game in which it's opponent scored first. They did it twice more the following weekend. UMass Lowell allowed the first goal of the game to both New Hampshire and Northeastern, but came from behind to win each of those games in the third period. The River Hawks are 3-4-0 when the opponent scores first. A year ago UMass Lowell was 6-6-1 when allowing the first goal of the game.
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 133-19-6, .861 during the last six-plus years. The River Hawks were 25-3-1 a year ago. When scoring two goals or less in a game the River Hawks are 25-55-15, .342, since 2011-12.
CLUTCH AND IMPORTANT GOALS: Sophomore Ryan Lohin leads the River Hawks in clutch goals. All five of his goals are defined as "clutch" either tying the score or giving the UML the lead. Lohin has four tying goals and one that gave UML the lead. John Edwardh and Connor Wilson have three and Kenny Hausinger, and Jake Kamrass have two clutch goals apiece this season. Edwardh led the team a year ago. Thirteen of his 19-goal came in the clutch.
VERSUS BIG TIME FOOTBALL SCHOOLS: UMass Lowell is 47-18-6 against schools with big time football programs since Norm Bazin took over the coaching responsibilities. That includes an 9-3-2 record against Notre Dame, 3-1-0 record against Penn State and a 16-1-1 mark against Massachusetts. The Bazin-led River Hawks also have winning records against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Arizona State and have split two games against Michigan. The River Hawks are also 7-7-2 against Boston College and 5-5-1 against UConn.
BIG ICE: The Norm Bazin led River Hawks have played well on "Big Ice." Including the November 10th win at UNH, the River Hawks are 38-12-5 on ice sheets larger than the standard/NHL 200 x 85 during Bazin's six-plus years behind the bench. They are 12-3-1 on the Olympic, 200 x 100, sheet including a 6-3-0 record at the Whittemore Center.Â
GOING TO THE BOX, OR NOT: UMass Lowell has spent less time, on average, in the penalty box than any other team in Hockey East. The River Hawks have been whistled 61 times for an average of 9.50 minutes per game. UMass Lowell is the seventh least penalized team in the country. Bentley is the 18th most penalized team in the country averaging 13.31 minutes in the box per game.Â
ON THE PP: UMass Lowell has the third busiest power play in Hockey East. The River Hawks have been on the power play 65 times in their first fourteen games. That's an average of 4.64 power plays per game. Only two teams have had the man advantage more often. Â
A RETURN TO THE NATIONAL STAGE: After a three-week absence UMass Lowell is back in the national polls. The River Hawks reappeared at number 19 in the USCHO Poll released on November 20. Prior to the polls released on October 30, 2017 UMass Lowell had been nationally ranked for 119 consecutive weeks going all the way back to December 2012. Of those 119 weeks, more than two-thirds, 83, were been spent in the top ten. The streak was the second longest in the country.
WHEN RANKED TEAMS VISIT: UMass Lowell saw its 17 game (12-0-5) unbeaten streak against nationally ranked teams at the Tsongas Center come to an end October 27th with the 3-1 loss to 20th ranked Northeastern. The streak was their longest since the USCHO poll began in 1997. Before November 3rd game, their last home loss to a ranked team on Feb. 6, 2015, when they were beaten by third ranked BU, 5-2. The River Hawks may have started a new streak with their 4-2 win against #13 Northeastern November 11.
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg is second in the nation in goals against average, 1.51, and fourth in save percentage, .946. Hernberg has started nine and appeared in eleven of the River Hawks 14 games this season and leads Hockey East in both categories. Forward Ryan Lohin is fifth in Hockey East in both assists with nine and points with 14.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Forward Kenny Hausinger has gotten off to a quick start scoring five goals and 12-points in the River Hawks first 14 games. Last year, Hausinger had just two-points, boith goals, after 14 games. That is far ahead of the pace he set last year. Hausinger did not score his fourteenth point of the 2016-17 season until the team's 36th game March 12th against New Hampshire.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES-Part II: Forward Ryan Lohin has picked up nine-assists and fourteen points in just 14 games this season. A year ago Lohin picked up his ninth assist on January 14th at UMass, his 23rd game of the year and reached the 14-point total on January 20th against Providence. A year ago Lohin had only two-goals and seven-assists through the first 14 games of the season.
SEEN IT ALL AND COUNTING: UMass Lowell Head Athletic Trainer Artie Poitras is the longest serving hockey athletic trainer with one team and the second longest serving in the country. Poitras has been on the bench, in his role as athletic trainer, for 37 years since starting his UMass Lowell career in 1981. He has been witness to a National Championship, three Hockey East Tournament Titles and ten NCAA Tournament visits. The athletic trainer has worked 1,360 games including 1,293 Division I games. He has missed only one game. Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 884.
STINGY STARTS:Â UMass Lowell has allowed only seven first period goals in 14 games this season, an average 0.50 goals per game. That puts the River Hawks third in Hockey East and eighth in the country. Bentley has allowed 12, placing them 35th in the nation.
51ST SEASON OF UMASS LOWELL HOCKEY: This is the 51st season of hockey at UMass Lowell. The program began with the 1967-68 season. That first team went 7-7-1. After winning three Division II National Championships the program moved to Division I as an Independent for the 1983-84 season and joined Hockey East for its inaugural season of 1984-85. The River Hawks are 858-706-116 all time with a winning percentage of .544 and 598-586-109 record (.504) as a Division I program.
The NHL and UML: Former River Hawk goalies Connor Hellebuyck and Carter Hutton have been putting up impressive numbers in the early going in the NHL. Hellebuyck defending the nets for the Winnipeg Jets is 12-2-2 with a 2.33 GAA and a .930 Sv.%. Hutton is 4-1-0 in five starts for St. Louis with a 1.59 GAA and a .946 save percentage.
100 GAMES CLUB: Three members of the UMass Lowell hockey team have played at least 100 games in their collegiate careers. Tyler Mueller (132), John Edwardh (115) and Chris Forney (114) have all reached the century mark. Mueller is tenth in the country among active players in games played and number one in Hockey East.  Tommy Panico (93) and Nick Master (92) are next on the list.
ATTENDANCE LEADERS: UMass Lowell leads Hockey East in average attendance for the third consecutive season. The River Hawks are averaging 5,127 per game through first eight home contests. UMass Lowell led Hockey East in average attendance, a year ago, drawing 5,542 per game. The club closed out the 2016-17 regular season with crowds of 6,000 or better in each of its last six home games. The River Hawks averaged nearly 900 more people than its nearest competitor.Â
PLUS-85: UMass Lowell Head Coach Norm Bazin is 85 games over .500 behind the River Hawk bench in six-plus seasons and that has moved the program above the .500 mark for the first time in the school's 35-year Division I history. UMass Lowell is 598-587-109 since beginning Division I play in 1983-84. Bazin is 159-73-21 in Lowell.
SUCCESS IS THE NORM: Norm Bazin is in his seventh season at UMass Lowell with a 159-74-21 record (.667) in 254 games. He owns a 197-105-28 mark (.639) in 330 games now in his tenth season as a collegiate head coach, including three seasons at Hamilton College. Bazin is the sixth head coach in program history and the fifth Div. I boss. He recorded his 100th career coaching victory on Nov. 23, 2013 vs. Notre Dame at the Tsongas Center and his 100th behind the River Hawk bench on October 9, 2015. He is also the fastest to the 100-win mark in school history. Bazin's 150th UML win came against Boston College in the 2017 Hockey East Championship Game. His first UMass Lowell win came against Minnesota State, 4-2, on October 14, 2011. Bazin is a three-time Hockey East Coach of the Year and was named the 2013 Spencer Penrose Award Winner as the Division I Coach of the Year. Bazin has led the River Hawks to five NCAA tournament appearances, three Hockey East Tournament Championships (2013, '14, '17) and one Frozen Four appearance (2013).Â
159 WINS: UMass Lowell Coach Norm Bazin has been behind the River Hawk bench for 159 wins. With a record of 159-74-21, Bazin is second on the River Hawk All-Time coaching list and tops the list for wins at the Division I level. His 151st win moved Bazin ahead of Blaise MacDonald. MacDonald compiled a record of 150-178-42 during his ten years behind the UML bench. Bill Riley tops the coaching win list with a 363-270-22 record. Bazin's .665 winning percentage is the best in the programs history.
THE SENIOR CLASS: The six-member UMass Lowell senior class has accumulated a record of 81-39-14, a .657 winning percentage. The class ranks second in Hockey East in wins and third in winning percentage. Only Providence, 83 wins, has more victories during the period. The class which includes forwards Ryan Collins, John Edwardh, and Jake Kamrass and defensemen Chris Forney, Tyler Mueller and Tommy Panico has won one HEA regular season title, a tournament championship, four in-season tournaments and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament. The class has a shot at matching or surpassing the 2016 senior class which is the winningest in the school's Division I history with an even 100 wins.
THE LEADERSHIP: Senior defenseman Tyler Mueller has been chosen to wear the "C", as Captain, on the front of his jersey. The River Hawk leadership team also includes Alternate Captains defenseman Chris Forney and forwards John Edwardh, Ryan Lohin and Connor Wilson.
